Stafford Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Stafford Regional Airport is a public airport
located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district
of Stafford
, the county seat of Stafford County
, Virginia
, United States
. The airport is southwest of the intersection of Route 630 and U.S. Route 1
near Interstate 95
, approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) south of Washington D.C. and 60 miles (96.6 km) north of Richmond
. It is owned and operated by the Stafford Regional Airport Authority, an independent body of representatives from Stafford and Prince William
Counties and the City of Fredericksburg
.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, Stafford Regional Airport is assigned RMN by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned RMN to Rumginae, Papua New Guinea
).
paved runway
(15/33) measuring 5,000 x 100 ft (1,524 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 7,667 aircraft operations, an average of 21 per day: 93% general aviation
and 7% military.
Columbia 400
piloted by a private pilot. The pilot and three passengers were killed when the aircraft flew into trees surrounding the runway after an aborted landing attempt via ILS
. Following an investigation, the NTSB
cited pilot error as the most likely cause of the accident.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Stafford
Stafford, Virginia
Stafford is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population as of the 2010 Census was 4,320. It lies north of Fredericksburg, approximately south of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about north of...
, the county seat of Stafford County
Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport is southwest of the intersection of Route 630 and U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
near Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Virginia
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Interstate 95 runs through the state. It runs concurrently for with Interstate 64 in Richmond, and meets the northern terminus of Interstate 85 in Petersburg. Though Interstate 95 was originally planned to go straight through Washington, D.C., it was instead...
, approximately 40 miles (64.4 km) south of Washington D.C. and 60 miles (96.6 km) north of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. It is owned and operated by the Stafford Regional Airport Authority, an independent body of representatives from Stafford and Prince William
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
Counties and the City of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
Location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for manned air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programming, weather reports, and related services.-ICAO...
for the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
and IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
, Stafford Regional Airport is assigned RMN by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned RMN to Rumginae, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
).
Facilities and aircraft
Stafford Regional Airport covers an area of 566 acres (229.1 ha) which contains one asphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
(15/33) measuring 5,000 x 100 ft (1,524 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 7,667 aircraft operations, an average of 21 per day: 93% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and 7% military.
Accidents
The airport was the site of a fatal accident on February 22, 2006, involving a LancairLancair
Lancair International, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of general aviation aircraft kits. They are well known for their series of high-performance single-engine aircraft that offer cruise speeds that surpass many twin-engine turboprop designs...
Columbia 400
Columbia 400
The Cessna 400 Corvalis is a single-engine, fixed-gear, low-wing general aviation aircraft built from composite materials by Cessna Aircraft.The Cessna 400 was originally built by Columbia Aircraft as the Columbia 400.-Design and development:...
piloted by a private pilot. The pilot and three passengers were killed when the aircraft flew into trees surrounding the runway after an aborted landing attempt via ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
. Following an investigation, the NTSB
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
cited pilot error as the most likely cause of the accident.